


Legacies

by desikostos



Series: Legacies [1]
Category: Marvel, Staron - Fandom, buckynat - Fandom
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Gen, Marvel Universe, Slow Burn, Staron - Freeform, buckynat - Freeform, marvel AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 09:12:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13232628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desikostos/pseuds/desikostos
Summary: What if Steve Rogers wasn’t the super soldier from a different time?What if Sharon Carter wasn’t your typical girl next door?Welcome to the time where there are no super heroes, only people with ordinary jobs.Ex-Army Ranger Steven Rogers, aka S.H.I.L.E.D.’s Golden Boy, meets CIA’s best operative in the face of Sharon Carter. They will have to work together to bring down world’s most notorious couple – Natasha Romanova and James Barnes.If they don’t kill each other first…





	1. Rendezvous in Paris

_ Berlin, Germany _

 

“ _YOU DID WHAT_?” Sharon practically propelled herself from the chair, forgetting all about manners or conduct, totally transfixed with what Coulson had just told her.

“Oh, come on Cater,” he yelled back, “cut me some slack, will’ ya? It’s a direct order form Langley, it’s not like I had a choice in the matter.”

“Yeah right!” She snorted and started pacing back and forth. She needed to go punch a wall or something. No, she needed to find the prick that came up with this absurd idea and punch him instead, till he didn’t scream like a baby.

She couldn’t believe Coulson either. How dare _him,_ after everything that damn man had put her through to even suggest such a thing. _He didn’t have a saying in the matter_ , what load of crap.

She stopped and grabbed the back of the chair, digging her nails deep into the leather. “You listen to me, I don’t care whose ass you’re gonna have to kiss…” Even the warning in his eyes didn’t stop her. “But you’re gonna get me out of this. I don’t care if the god damn president of the United States had personally called you; I am not working with that asshole.”

Coulson slowly stood up, placed his fists onto his desk and dangerously leaned in. “No, you’ll listen to me,” his voice low and authoritative. “I am your superior officer and I am the one giving orders around here, not you. I don’t care what you want or what you need in that matter. I am _not_ disregarding a direct order just because you feel like it. Behave like the agent I know you are, damn it.” He exploded again and collapsed in his chair.

Sharon measured him with her eyes and laughed. She actually laughed. “Just because you’re not getting any at home you’re screwing me over…” She straightened and folded her arms over her chest. “Marvelous!”

“Watch it, Carter,” he growled.  “Now,” he reached in the first drawer, picked a thick folder and tossed it in front of her. “You will rendezvous with Rogers and his team in Paris in three days. I expect of you to be perfectly prepared… and fully cooperative.”

“Don’t count on that,” Sharon snapped back, then prompted. “Send someone else. The new one, what was her name... Hill.  She’ll jump to the opportunity to work with him. She thinks he is some sort of superhero, they’ll click right from the start, and you can leave me out of this. ”

“Not an option, we want you. Besides, Hill is already there to coordinate with her S.H.I.L.E.D. counterpart, some guy named Wilson.”

 _Perfect._ If the one was there the other was always near-by. And Hill too, that was just the cherry on top. Hill was new, and little odd, and very, _very_ obsessive. Whenever she started to talk there was no stopping. Endless conversations about everything. Now imagine being in the same room with her for weeks… _Gah-reat_!

“Hill will send you all the details. Now go pack your stuff, you’re dismissed.”

She said something unpleasant in return and stormed out.

Coulson returned his attention to the work he was doing before their little fight. He knew how much Sharon detested Rogers, but he also didn’t have a choice. Romanova and Barnes had become lose cannons and they had to be stopped. Since S.H.I.E.L.D. had been tracking their movements for the past three years it was only fair for their team to take the lead. Yet Fury needed someone from outside his organization to help, and who better than the grand-daughter of one of S.H.I.E.L.D’s founders.

………

“ _Son of a bitch!”_

Sharon slammed the door of her one bedroom apartment so viciously the framed picture of her and her mother fell from the wall, shattering at her feet. She looked down at the scatter pieces and cursed. She was so angry the three miles she walked from work to her home felt like nothing. They were forcing her to work with that jerk, after the bastard almost had her fired.

 _Incompetent, reckless, borderline insane…_ Those were some of the nicest things Rodgers had called her that day. He had done it while she was lying in a medic relieve chopper, with a gushing bullet hole in her leg. _Such a charmer, right?_ Wrong! She could feel her blood dripping all around her and he was standing there, making accusations, threating to call her boss and have her fired within minutes. _Professional courtesy my ass._

Her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She answered without looking with a harsh ‘ _What’!_

 _“Sharon, honey, is that you?”_ Her mother voice sounded muffled.

 _Shit_. “Yeah, mom, it’s me. What’s up?”

“ _Oh, honey, how are you? You haven’t called in days._ ”

Sharon shook her head; she didn’t want to have another fight with her mother over the not calling problem.

 “I’m sorry mom, but I’ve been really busy with work.” _Please don’t make me apologies any more than that._ “It’s pretty much the same thing with me, not many reasons to call.”

“ _We miss you sweetie…_ ” her mother muffled sob made its way to Sharon’s heart. “ _I haven’t seen you in months… and your dad… You know him, he’ll won’t make the first step…_ ”

“Mom, stop… It’s not like I’m on a different planet. I’m working…”

Sharon dragged herself to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed, clothes and everything still on. Screw the mud or the fact she was soaking wet from the pouring rain outside.

“ _But you’re always working_ …”

And we were back on our old ways. “Mom,” she pleaded.

“ _I know, I know. You think we don’t support you, but baby… why you had to leave the States? You had a wonderful job here._ ”

“No, mom, what I had was a cubicle.” Sharon felt the anger overtake her body. “I speak seven languages, I’m an expert in hand-to-hand-combat and weaponry, and they gave me a cubicle. Trust me, that it’s not a wonderful job, it’s a living hell. Which as I recall you didn’t seem to mind as long as I was home… Only Aunt Peggy cared what I wanted…”

“ _Watch it, young lady_!” Her mother rarely raised her voice, but when she did, it meant business, “ _I am still your mother… I deserve respect. Don’t forget who paid for your education…_ ”

Sharon closed her eyes and blew a deep one. She didn’t want to upset her mother. Her parents supported her enough, giving the circumstances. She graduated Georgetown _summa cum laude_ which meant she could enlist. That was the deal.

“I’m sorry mom, I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just… a shitty day at work.”

“ _Don’t say shit…”_ her mother’s warm laughter filled the receiver, “ _but I get it_. _Is it because of Richard?_ ”

Richard was the worm she dated for few months, before catching him in the act with one of the technicians. She was so relieved when she tossed his sorry ass out of her apartment that same night she hadn’t realize how bad her relationship with him has been. They had nothing in common, and the sex was somewhat okay. She only needed him to quiet the little voice in her mind telling her _there are things other than work, Sharon_. It happened to be her mother voice.

“No, mom, it’s not because of him. I don’t care for him that much.” _Don’t even think I ever had._ “You know I can’t tell you anything, but it sucks. Listen mom… I need to take a shower, before I catch a cold. I promise I’ll call tomorrow to say hi… okay?”

Her mother was quiet for a second. “ _Just be careful, sweetie_.”

“Aren’t I always? Give daddy a big kiss from me… I love you guys so much…”

“ _We love you too…_ ” Her mother was on the verge of breaking.

“Buy, mom…”

“ _Buy, baby.”_

Sharon disconnected the call and dropped the phone next to her. She lay in bed and thought about what was to come… and she hated every second of it. To be bossed around by that prick was too much…

She jumped to her feet, took her leather jacket off, then the black top and basically crawled to the shower… plotting her next move.

 

_ Washington, DC _

 

“I can’t believe you specifically asked for Carter.” Sam didn’t hide his amusement.

“It’s not like that. She was the only one available.”

“Really, was the entire CIA out on an assignment? Don’t bullshit me man.”

Steve looked over at his friend. He couldn’t understand how Sam would think he, of all people, would want anything to do with that woman, professionally or otherwise. She was pain in the ass he’d rather avoid.

“Coulson, Carter’s boss, owed Fury a favor.” He closed his laptop and stood up. “She’s fluent in French, she knows the city… Nick thought she might be of assistance. Who am I to argue?”

 _Oh, and how he argued._ He didn’t want that woman any near him, his people or his operation. The last time they saw each other, the only time they saw each other, was a disaster. It was three years ago, Steve and Sam were in Wakanda to meet with the Royal Family when Coulson contacted Fury to ask for his help. Apparently little miss independence had gone AWOL and was now held hostage by some Somali pirates, demanding one million dollars for her precious head or else.

 _The else part being rape and murder_. So they left without so much a word, and went to save her reckless ass. Sam got shot in processes and Steve might or might not have lost his temper on her. Granted, it was in poor taste to shout to someone who was not only shot and bleeding in front of him, but also someone who had spent a month with those savages never so much as breathing a word to them. They’ve tortured her, because she broke the neck of some guy. Left her without food and water for days, but she still managed to stay alive. He respected that about her, but he didn’t want to have anything to do with a person who abandons their job to go play a hero. After all because of her Sam had to spend weeks in a hospital.

“You talked to Hill?” Steve was all business again.

“Yeah, she’ll wait us in Paris. I made the arrangements for us to leave the day after tomorrow. I still have to finish with the new recruits, but I think I can do it by tomorrow night.”

 _That simply wouldn’t do._ “You stay, but I’m leaving first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll check the safe house; make sure everything is okay…”

“Or you just want to beat her there,” he suggested with raised eyebrows.

“You’re the one who got shot because of her, not me. Why are you finding it this damn funny?”

“I get shot for a living; it’s a part of the job. Both ours and hers. What I don’t get is why it bugs _you_ this much?”

“It doesn’t,” Steve stated firmly, but it wasn’t true. Of course it bugged him. It made his blood boil. He was the one who had to drag her out of there, while she practically resisted the whole time, and in that time his best friend, his brother, got shot and almost didn’t bleed to death on the pavement. So excuse his lack of interest.

„It‘s settle then. “ Sam headed for the door, but stopped. „Just in case she comes before I do... try to play nice... „

Steve narrowed his eyes at Sam.

Sam raised his hands in defense. „For the sake of keeping Stark alive and catching Bonnie and Clyde, of course. “

„For the sake of that you should better go. “ Steve pointed at the door with his eyes.

Sam smiled and shook his head; he didn’t need to be told twice, but his friend…he was a lost cause.

.........

For the first time in her life Sharon didn’t feel like rushing into doing something. One more day at home meant a day away from the impossible situation she was forced in. Coulson wanted her there in three days and who was she to disobey a direct order from what was it… _oh, right, her superior officer_.

No excesses items, no wasting time in packing. She’ll travel light this time. Anything else she’ll buy. This time it’d be only her and her gun, a match made in heaven. Somewhere along the way her _Glock_ had become her most reliable partner. The weapon itself was an extension of her hand, of her mind. It didn’t judge her, it didn’t question her decisions. It acted the way she wanted it. All she wanted right now so to use it on Coulson… and Rodgers, and she had the feeling the Glock wouldn’t mind.

Either way, she booked a flight in the afternoon. She loved Paris. She loved to walk its streets, to visit its small shops and cafes. It made her feel like she meant a lot more than what the world had shown her. It made her hope for more. Not that she wasn’t happy, but she felt odd pressure settling on her shoulders as of lately. Something had changed about her; it made her more cynical and abrupt. It made her question her purpose, her life, and she hated it. Leather had become her fashion choice; black the color of her aura. She knew the shade of her own blood, for she has seen it stain the punching bag a time too many. Yet she didn’t seem to mind. She never fought the crushing feelings, she embraced them, after all she was he one to call upon them. It wasn’t a phase she’d simply have to wait to pass; it has been her life for the past three years. _It_ was the reason for her misery. _It_ was the key to her happiness.

So she needed a change in scenery. She needed a change of heart. She needed to escape. Not that she’d ever admitted to Coulson, or to anyone, but she was grateful for the opportunity to feel relevant again. She only hated the company, not the mission.

_It was time for the dirty blonde to do the dirty work._

_………_

_“Why don’t you carpool together?”_

This was the most ridiculous thing Steve had ever heard in his life. What were they, two soccer moms, driving their children to practice? Far from it. He didn’t know this Hill character, but she was either crazy, or completely oblivious of their sordid past. He didn’t care what it was, it wasn’t going to happen. By the time Carter’s plane landed, which was just two hours after his, he’d already be in the apartment, working. Tending to her needs wasn’t in any way his priority. Carter could handle her own transportation. 

He went to get his bag from the baggage claim. While he waited, he made few phone calls home. He called his mom to tell her he had landed safely. He always did that, so she could be sure everything was ok with her little boy. Man, he was thirty five and his mom still treated him like a child. He didn’t mind doing it, although sometimes it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. He left her a massage, promising to call as soon he was free. Steve for once was glad his mother didn’t answer. She would have asked about Sophie, and he _did not_ want to talk about her. It was done, they were over. There wasn’t much more to be said. His mother may have wanted Sophie for the mother of her imagine grandchildren, but Steve doubted that could ever happen now.

The unmistakable sound of the carrousel pulled him from his thoughts, reminding him of the responsibilities he had. His disapproving mother had to wait, for now at least. There was no staying away from her when he was home. He locked his phone and shoved in the back pocket of his jeans. He focused on the countless bags and suitcases, waiting for his, when all of the sudden he was aware of the attractive blonde standing next to him. Calling her attractive was bit of a stretch, since he could only see her back, yet there was something about her that had him starring for a second too long.

Loose and wavy hair perfectly framing her face, eyes hidden behind huge round brown sunglasses. He couldn’t see beyond this, but he knew she was pretty. No reason apart from the fact that she acted pretty. _Acted pretty! What the hell was wrong with him?_ Okay, so you have some random woman, at a random airport, whose face he couldn’t even make out, and all of the sudden she occupies most of his mind. Who cares that she looks like someone who just walked out a photo shoot for a beach magazine, with her perfect hair and perfect tan. Or the fact that while she was going through her phone her other hand was absently playing with her necklace. _He wanted to be that necklace, dammit!_   He wanted those slim fingers to go all over his body, making him feel alive again.

_Yep, definitely going crazy._

The worst part. She was humming something. Something he couldn’t hear, but he didn’t care. The way her lips moved was mesmerizing. Slowly, sensually, enticingly… her hips following the unknown rhythm… from side to side… _a torturous view_. She either didn’t care if people stared or simply he was the only one noticing her…devouring her with his eyes. Hundreds dirty scenarios rolled in front of them, none of them ending well for him. He had that with Sophie, he didn’t want to through it again. Physical cravings weren’t a reason good enough for a relationship…

_Back up, partner… a relationship… you don’t even know this woman… STOP IT!_

He had to put an end to this. So he cleared his throat, cleared his mind and looked away. No, he literally had to tear his eyes away from her… but with the corner of his eyes he saw her turn and face him, and he no longer wanted to thank his lucky star. Shock seized his body. He had to do a double take; he had to be hallucinating because of the jet lag, right? Either that or he had just spent the last five minutes fantasizing, nope, not good enough, try drooling over…

_“Carter!?”_

………

She couldn’t catch a break.

First she had to reschedule her flight. It turns out some clerk at the airport had messed up and she practically had to rush to get on this one. Then she had the most unfortunate luck to be seated next to a snotty teenager, who was breaking up with her boyfriend via text every ten minutes. The other nine she spent angrily texting her friends, telling them how she was about to break it off with the poor guy, only to have herself sending him pictures of cute animals saying sorry. _Was she ever like that in her teens?_

The drama resolved on its own… eventually. But then problem number two occurred. The guy behind her was constantly mumbling to himself _“If you like Pina Coladas”_ so now the damn song was stuck in her head, on repeat. She loved the occasional bursting into a song while in the shower, but no chance that ever happening out in the public. Till today. She was waiting for her suitcase, responding to one of Richard’s pathetic texts, and she could feel it. She was singing. To herself. Out in the public. Fucking great! And it was about to get even better, which in her case meant…

“ _Carter?_ ”

Steve “fucking” Rogers was saying her name. Why was Steve “S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Golden Boy” Rogers saying her name in the first place? Thousands of questions danced in her mind as she watched him approach her. She was coming a day early just to avoid meetings like this, not to be ambushed by him at the airport. But here he was, stalking at her, looking as he have seen a ghost.

She removed her sunglasses and burned him with her scorching gaze. “What the hell are you doing here?” 

As much he was surprised, she was pissed. He didn’t care. “Well, good seeing you too.”

Sharon shorted. “Right! You didn’t answer my question.”

“Here, at the airport?" He mused. “Waiting for my luggage, I guess. You?”

Sharon felt sudden urge to punch him. “Very funny,” she scowled. “I though you and Wilson were coming tomorrow night.”

“And you came a day early to beat us here? My, my, Carter…”

The asshole had the nerve to smirk at her. Her hand twitched with desire to erase the smug smile of his pretty face.

“And you weren’t doing the same? Don’t flatter yourself Rodgers, why would I be doing such a thing?”

_Liar._

“Now if you excuse me,” she peered over his shoulder and notice her suitcase. “I’m going to get my things and get a cab…” _So I could be as far as possible from you._

She brushed passed him, obviously running away. Still pretty much the charmer he remembered from three years ago. Foul mothed and disrespectful towards those she didn’t like. And he was certain she didn’t like him. He could tell by the mean looks she kept throwing him over her shoulder, more as a warning to keep his distance, if he liked to keep his head.

_And he was stuck with her for god knows how long…_

Sharon waited rather impatiently for her suitcase to appear, when she sensed him stopping behind her.

“What,” she hissed through clenched teeth.

“Nothing, just waiting. Like you.”

With the corner of her eye she watched him move to stand next to her. “Could you be any more annoying?”

He looked at her, down right amused. “Annoying, ha? Not something I hear about myself very often.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Well I’m sorry I’m not a part of Steve Rogers’ fan club. I still have a functioning brain, you know. Besides, annoying is the most positive thing I can say about you. You should be happy.”

She awarded him with one of the fakest smiles she was capable of.

If she thinks he couldn’t play the same game, she was in for the treat. “Like I would care what you think of me, you, the woman that _allowed_ herself to get caught by some low-life thugs…”

The smile disappeared and Steve wished he’d just kept his mouth shut. The fire in her eyes died, sadness overtaking her body, and he wanted to punch himself for torturing her like this. His mother raised him better than this.

Sharon shook her head and laughed, mostly at herself. Why would she expect any different from someone like him? Why would he respect her when he didn’t even care to listen when she needed him the most? And now he dared to judge her. _What an_ …

“Asshole!” She pushed him aside and grabbed her suitcase. The thing came out just in time so she could made her escape. She didn’t need this. Not from him, not ever again.

For the second time in five minutes he watched her run away, and both times it was because of him. The first time he let her, but he wasn’t so sure this time.

His suitcase appeared just in the right time. It was a sign, maybe…

_Dammit!_

He grabbed it and chased after her. “Carter, wait.”

Sharon shook her head and called over her shoulder. “Not a chance in hell.” But he caught up with her.

“Look, I’m sorry. That was mean thing to say.”

He sounded sincere, but she wasn’t buying it. “You said it, because you meant it, Rogers. Don’t try to deny it, and don’t try to apologize. It’s not like I care of what you might or might not think of me.”

“Really,” he grabbed her arm above the elbow, holding her to a stop. Like it or not she had to look at him. “Then why run?”

Sharon tugged her arm from his grip, careful not to make a scene. She took a step closer and looked him straight in the eye. _Thank god she chose the wedge pumps._

 “For you information I didn’t run. Just don’t feel like spending the rest of my life running from your buds, when they find out I’ve beaten their boy to death with my suitcase… that’s all. I like my suitcase, it was a gift. It’d be a bummer to see it to go to waste like this.” _Over someone like you._

Steve didn’t seem much threaten by her by her little speech, more like entertained. “So…you think you’d be able to run and hide from my men, ha?”

Sharon frowned. _What the hell was wrong with him?_

“You’re _un_... _believable_.”

“Now that’s something I’ve heard before,” he grinned, but when she didn’t response he had to come up with something better. “How about a peace offering?”

She clipped a hard _no_ without even considering it for a moment and headed for the customs. Steve stared after her. No one else had ever had him chasing after them, but little miss independence here obviously had him wrapped around her finger. He felt utterly useless when with her. Not that he had any chance to shine with anything in particular, be she definitely had her way of making him feel inadequate.  It was not a good feeling.

Chasing her attempt number three.

“You’re running again.”

“I was thinking about your family jewels this time.”

He gasped. “You wouldn’t!”

“Try me.” Her eyes shined with warning. She didn’t want to brag, not to him especially, but she wasn’t known for someone who could control their explosive temper for too long. In his case, she was making an exception.

“Help me out here, Carter. I’m extending an olive branch,” he pleaded.

She thought about it for a moment. She could continue torturing him, or she could try and move pass this. The first meant more entertainment for her; the second was her way of proving she was more than what he initially thought of her. It shouldn’t bother her much…what he thinks of her, but it did.

“Fine,” she agreed reluctantly. “But we’re going to need some ground rules first, okay?”

Steve only nodded in response.

“Great then… No more bitter comments, okay, forget about them. We are at work and you should at least act like it.”

Steve barely kept himself from arguing about the source of the bitterness but by the way her mouth moved it seemed she hadn’t finished just yet.

“No more teasing, or mocking, or throwing around sexual innuendoes. Forget for those, too…”

 _Sexual innuendoes?!_ What the hell was she talking about?

“And no more mentioning of Somalia. _Ever_! What happened, happened… It’s in the past” She shifted awkwardly. “So leave it there. Deal?”

A shadow crossed her face, darkening her features. Even though she had turned her head away from him, Steve could see the mixture of emotion changing her. Guilt and regret filled her eyes. He both wanted to know, but he also didn’t care enough for what she had to say to excuse herself or her behavior that day. He was there and saw for himself. But there was something else in those brown eyes…

“If you don’t agree I don’t think this operation stands a chance.”

Her urging voice brought him back to reality.

He cleared his throat. “Fine, okay. Deal.”

Sharon absently nodded at his response, still focused on the exit doors. “Maybe we should get going then. I don’t think I can handle more scenes for today.”

“I’ve got a car,” Steve jumped right in.

“What?”

“A rental. It’s in the parking. If you want…”

She didn’t want, but she also didn’t have any other choice. She was stuck with him, with this for only god knows when to fight it. She might as well except her shitty faith and be done with it.

“Well, what are you waiting for. Go get it.”

………

Wasn’t she the one in a rush? The one to basically urge him to go and get the car? Then why the hell was she still out, on the parking lot, going through her phone. She could do that in the car too.

His fingers drummed nervously on the steering wheel. “Carter, come on…” He raised his voice just enough for her to hear him.

Sharon gave him a mean one over her cell and continued typing something… _angrily_. Shit, she did look angry. He just hoped she was pissed at whom-ever was on the other side and not at him for a change.

After another minute Sharon shoved the phone in her purse and walked toward the car.

“Finally,” Steve sighed and fastened his seatbelt. He entered the address of the building into the GPS and waited while Sharon loaded her stuff in the backseat. She slammed the door and reached for the passenger’s one.

She climbed in, tossed her purse onto the dashboard and looked over to Steve expectantly. “Well, shall we…”

Steve only managed a quick side glance at her and started the engine. They were finally on the road. The ride wasn’t particularly pleasant, but at least it was a quiet one. Well aside from her phone. The damn thing kept buzzing and beeping, slowly getting on his nerves, as much as it was getting on her nerves too, apparently.

“Is everything okay?”

Sharon looked irritated by the question. “What?”

Steve nodded at her purse. “Maybe you should answer it. Or turn it off. Either way, just make it stop. It’s slowly driving me insane.”

“You and me both.” She took the phone out and muted it. God, she felt like she was suffocating. She couldn’t believe how everything was turning against her. First all the shit from home and now this, to be stuck with _him_ … A living nightmare. She needed to scream, to punch, and to hurt someone… She needed to vent all the negative emotions crushing her, and what better way than using him.

“Tell me something Rogers, what is it with your kind?”

Steve narrowed his blue eyes at her as they filled with curiosity. “My… _kind_?”

“Yes, you men, what is it with you? Why are you the way you are? Why do you think you can cheat and then simply continue on your merry way, expecting of us to welcome you back with open arms and no second thoughts.”

“That’s your boyfriend then, on the phone?” He didn’t mean to pry, but by the way her eyes shined with disappointment it looked like she was far from over.

“ _Ex_ -boyfriend, but yes. Somehow Richard, that’s his name,” she cleared out for him, “has found out I’m here, in Paris, and now he wants us to meet… To talk. Jesus, like there is anything to talk about after…”

She shook her head. God, even thinking about it made her blood boil. And no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Not because she missed Richard or whatever they had, but because even though she felt betrayed and humiliated, she couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow what he did was her fault.

She let the tip of her fingers skim her lips before continuing her rant. “I caught them, literally in the middle of the act, and he still had the nerve to tell me it wasn’t what it looked like? What did he think it looked like? His hand was so far up the girl’s skirt that…I…I don’t know… I felt so angry with me, rather than him, and all I want now is for this to stop before I go completely insane. Come to think of it it’s like he wants me to go insane, just so I could take him back. _Idiot_!”  

Steve said nothing for couple of moments, even when her eyes sought his for any sign of reassurance, or understanding at least. It’s not that she needed any of that from him, but a different perspective was always welcome when one was driven insane by the many, _many_ maddening doubts. She may have wanted to admit it, but she was the one with the doubts.

“Can I ask you something,” she started quietly amid the dreadful silence.

His shoulders lifted in a quick shrug. “Sure.”

“Why men cheat?”

He pulled back a little to look at her expectant face. “Why men cheat, or why your man cheated on you in particular?”

She looked little baffled by the question. “Aren’t those the same things?”

Steve had to laugh. “’Fraid not.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’d suggest every men out there cheats. In that matter,” he explained patiently, “it would suggest that every woman cheats as well. And that’s just ignorant thing to say, even to consider.”

“Then why do you cheat?”

 “ _Some_ men do and others don’t.” He felt like distinguishing between the two types people ought to be made. “I guess if you ask different people they’ll give different answers that will be neither wrong nor right.”

“That’s simple, ha?”

“I don’t think is simple for those waiting for the answer.” _Like you apparently._ “And for the record, I’ve never cheated on my girlfriend, or on to any of my previous girlfriends. That’s why I think the generalization is wrong.”

“But what if you do in the future?” She challenged.

“That doesn’t count.”

“No?”

“Nope.”

“Because…” she prompted.

“Because what happens next is not always up to you, Carter. You don’t know what the future holds and I don’t think forcing your past like that on someone helps. You can’t be afraid of everything just because it _might_ happen someday. It’s dangerous way of living your live.”

“Yeah, how come?”

Steve stole another glance at her. This conversation wasn’t something he expected to share with her of all people. Apparently that ex of hers did a number on her. “You’re approaching everything with the thought of it going sideways eventually. You expect every bad thing to happen indivertibly missing the good ones life has to offer. That’s not why to live a happy life.”

 _Had she? Is she?_ She studied the man’s face, only seeing determination. He actually believed in what he was saying. Good, at least one of them did, because she still couldn’t. All she could see was how flawed this whole theory was. Bad things _do_ happen, and it was more often than good ones. Well, it was probably true in her case, she couldn’t say every person in the rest of the world shared her bad luck, but still. Bad things thought her everything she knew now; they shaped her into the person she had become.

“Tell me something,” he continued, “were you happy with this guy?”

“Well,” she hesitated, going through her head in search for the right thing, “I wasn’t unhappy. I was content.”

“Wow, content,” he mocked her. “Be still my heart!”

“I’m not some ditzy teenagers, Rogers,” she scowled him.

“But you’re not dead either. You should do better than just _content_.”

“Maybe I’ll try that with next guy…” she said mostly to herself.

“See,” he smiled at her, even though she wasn’t looking, “that’s a spirit.”

Sharon said nothing after that and they went on with drive quietly.

………

Another quick look, a stolen moment to study her, and Steve started to notice all sort of things about her. She had used her propped against the window arm to rest her head onto, absently starring out the window. Her foot was following the rhythm of the song stubbornly filling the silent car, while her fingers toyed with her neckless. She tossed the delicate ornament between fingers, gently caressing the edges. It was odd, the combination of the two actions. The one suggested a care-free person, one with a bubbly personality that was easily amused and honestly enjoying the simplest pleasures that life had to offer, such as a song on the radio.

But the other, that was the more interesting one. There was definitely a level of sadness in what she was doing. It looked like a habit, one she wasn’t even aware of. She looked as if she was miles away from here. Probably the little thing reminded her of something or someone. He couldn’t exactly tell of its form, but it was in the shape of crescent moon, or the letter _C._ Either way, it probably meant a great deal to her. And it got to him. Is this why he couldn’t tear his eyes from it, from her gentle fingers? Because she finally looked like a real human being!

Maybe he took that moment of imaginary weakness to seriously, because of what happened next.

 “So, how’s the leg?” He _happened_ to ask as casually as one asks about the weather. The words were out his mouth before he could even begin to regret them.

“That’s it!” Sharon’s fingers curled into a fist, a fist that _not so_ casually landed on his right shoulder.

“What the hell Carter?!” Steve threw a quick incredulous side glance at her before focusing on the road again.

Jesus, the man didn’t even flinch and she was going for the hard punch, one driven by pure rage.

“ _What the hell?!”_ She mirrored him, raising her voice even higher. “I’ll tell you what the hell! You agreed, not so long ago by the way, not to bring up Somalia ever again and now that. Be glad it’s just the shoulder and not your nose. God,” she massaged her fingers, starring at him as if she was seeing him for the first time, “you sure don’t miss any gym sessions. It’s like you’re made of rock or something.”

He stole another fast look at her. “Does it hurt? Your hand?”

_Was that concern in his voice?_

She leaned back, working her fingers into a fist and then relaxing them. “If you must know, yes, it hurts, a lot. It’s like I’ve hit a brick wall.”

“Good!” He snapped back.

She straightened, outraged. “ _Good_?! What do you mean ‘ _good’_?”

His grip tightened around the steering wheel. “I was asking a simple question and your natural response is what- _to hit as hard as you can_?! You could’ve killed us both… you-you crazy… woman!” The _woman_ came after a moment of hesitation, but it was _not_ what he was going for.

_Forget about the concern. He was down-right pissed at her._

“Simple question, ha! You did it on purpose, you asshole!”

It was the briefest of moments, but Steve did indeed imagine that the steering wheel was her neck instead. Her pretend vulnerability was gone now and she was back on being the same infuriating pain in his side she had always been. No wonder he could feel his fingers curling at the image with desire. He didn’t feel very proud of the chain of thoughts invading his mind, but the damn woman was pushing all of his buttons and he couldn’t stand it, to be honest he couldn’t stand her either.

“Look,” he began slowly, but she cut him off.

“Why don’t we just drop it, okay, the socializing part? It’s obviously not a good idea. Why don’t you,” she gestured tiredly at the road ahead, “just drive? The sooner we get to the hotel the better.”

There was the one thing he couldn’t argue over! The sooner this was over the better!

………

Sharon came to live once he pulled in in front one of the many apartment buildings in the center of the city. _Apartment building?!_ _Wait a minute; she was staying at a hotel! She was supposed to be staying at a hotel, damn it!_

“Hey, Rogers,” she practically bolted after him as he stepped out of the car, almost forgetting about her purse. “Hold up for a second!”

“Good thing I don’t have to,” he returned with an annoyed expression on his face. He went to the back of the car to get his stuff. “We’re here, finally, so we can part ways now.” _Finally to that, too._

“Yeah, sure, but this isn’t a hotel. I was told I was staying at a hotel. Why aren’t we staying at a hotel?” She insisted.

“How about we go in,” he proposed impatiently, “and you can ask Hill that yourself. She was the one to make the arrangements, not me.”

Her vision darted between him and the building. “But-but…”

If he didn’t know better, he would’ve thought she was starting to panic. He quickly dismissed the idea and proceeded with unloading the car. “But nothing. Now,” he finally managed to get his bag, closed the trunk door and went for her suitcase. He got it from the back seat of the car and dropped it at her feet. “I’ll be going in, with or without you. I’ll be getting in the elevator with or without you, and I’ll be” he threateningly took a step toward her, “carrying this operation _with or without you,_ got it? So you could either get in with me or you could stay here and huff and puff all day if you want to. I’m sick and tired of your bullshit behavior.” He slammed the door, grabbed his bag and disappeared into the lobby.

On the way to the elevator Steve pulled his phone and dial Sam’s number. The call was immediately transferred to his voice mail. He waited for the recorded massage to end before lashing out to his friend in a low and threatening whisper. “I hope that lady friend of your still lives in Mexico city because I feel like I’m going to be needing her help soon. This was I mistake, a great stupid mistake. She impossible to talk to, let alone to work with. You either need to get here ASAP or I’ll be assuming new identity and you’ll have to smuggle me into Mexico, because I’m already planning her murder here. And it is not gonna be a pleasant one, I can tell you that. ”

The main door screeched open and Sharon walked in under his scrutinizing look. She gave the foyer a quick glance, not bothering to _award_ him with one of her infamous glares, before heading for the mail boxes.

Steve’s eyes squeezed shut. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to reclaim some of his composure. “Ignore that last part, it’s been a long day. But, really, get here faster.” He ended the call and went for the elevator button. His palm quite literally slammed over the red dot with one simple conclusion- _he was reclaiming shit_!


	2. Co-habitation? Working together? Talk about forced circumstances

No sooner the elevator’s doors had opened with a cheerful ‘ding’ than Sharon came nose to nose with Maria Hill herself. Well, her nose came in close proximity with Hill’s forehead since her nose was too busy being stuck in her phone. Sharon managed to handle her rising annoyance and stifled a curse at the ridiculousness of the situation, while Maria wasn’t this fortunate. The young woman almost didn’t jump out of her skin, startled from the sudden intrusion of her personal space, and in some comical manner tossed the phone up in the air.

That was just her luck. Always making a scene, always embarrassing herself in front of strangers. Lord almighty, did she have to yelp like some scared puppy, too? A soul-crushing streak of humiliating and somewhat degrading moments rolled before Maria‘s closed eyes as she dreadingly waited for the coming sound of metal and glass, crushing and shuttering at her feet.

Nothing has changed since second grade when she broke Bobby Miller‘s nose. He had tried to give her an innocent peck on the cheek but her hand didn’t get the memo on time. At one moment Bobby was standing next to her and at the next he was surrounded by a cloud of dust as her little body was hitting the ground. She remembered her aunt dragging her to Bobby‘s so she could apologize to both him and his mother. After that Bobby was no longer interested in being any near her.

Or that time when Amy, her next-door neighbor, had asked her out for ice-cream without Maria even realizing that the girl was actually asking her out on a date. It goes without saying that the next few hours were close to a living nightmare which resulted in a broken heart and broken friendship. In her defense, of course, Maria had never been asked on a date before and she had no clue how that even worked. Shame though, because Amy was a terrific person to spend your time with. She just couldn‘t move pass the humiliation brought by the inexperienced youth.

And who could ever forget the most recent one, last month when she kept hanging up on Director Fury, because she thought that Tim, her asshole of a colleague, was messing with her.  _She_ , she couldn‘t forget about it. In her book that was the worst one. She could never be able to describe the numbing horror she felt when she saw Tim walking down the corridor, not holding a phone or anything, just as she was about to hang up on Fury for the seventh time. At least the director was good sport about it and never brought it up again. Not that the mortification would ever be gone for real.

This brought her to her recent predicament. She already knew agent Carter was familiar with her disastrous persona, but agent Rogers.... _God_ , she had made fool of herself in front of him, too. She wanted to die.

Instead of actually dyeing, because that would’ve been too convenient she heard someone laughing and talking to her. The soft chuckle pulled her out from the trip down the memory lane and brought her back to reality. She popped one eye open to see a set of perfect white teeth grinning at her.

Steve smiled down at the adorable mess that was the woman before him and handed her the phone back. “Agent Hill, I presume?”

Maria gathered it against her chest and smiled back, the smile coming little wobbly and embarrassed of course. She gasped and took a step back, smitten by the presence of the man she had dying to meet for so long. She couldn’t exactly form a coherent thing to say, but she had to.

“Whoa, dude,” she breathed out, but then all of the sudden stopped, mortified.  _Did you just call a senior agent ‚dude‘?_ She asked herself as the realization that she had dawned on her. She did and it was beyond ridiculous, it was inappropriate. But she also couldn’t help it. It just kept happening.

“Uh, I mean, that was some rescue. Those were some impressing muscles… I-I mean moves,” squeezing her eyes shut once again she stammered, “n-no, that’s not what I meant, uh, I meant you’re quite flexible for a man your size… Not that there’s anything wrong with your size, or your bulging muscles...”

Maria figured at the second mentioning of the word  _muscles_ that she had taken things too far and that she needed to stop talking. So she clasped her free hand over her incriminating mouth, while raising the other in front of Steve’s face, to ask, silently, for a do-over of the conversation. And when she felt like talking again, she straightened and opened her eyes, meeting the patient gaze of the man before her.

She extended her right arm to great him. “Agent Rogers, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Steve took her hand in his. The shake was firm and confident. He liked it, just like he liked her. “I assure you, the pleasure’s all mine.”

So far Sharon took the scene playing before her as she was used to do. So she’ll let Maria babble her way out of it, you know to get it out of her system. But Maria was of no help and when she backed away and flustered all over again Sharon realized that that was her cue, because no way in hell she would leave Hill struggling against Rogers’ charm and confidence. The man had plenty of both, not that she’d ever confess such thing, but seeing the clear signs of mental freeze in the other woman’s eyes only had her more convinced she had to intervene. It was sad, though, yet another one bites the dust. It wasn’t nothing short of a mystery how he was able to affect such a brilliant mind and turn her into the babbling airhead she was displaying right now.

Sharon emerged from behind Steve, the living embodiment of irritation and annoyance. “Hill, good to see you are still  _you_ , never short of a memorable firs impression.”

Steve didn’t fail to notice the cool and restrained tone, but he figured that Carter was like this with probably 99.99% percent of the world. It was just her natural disposition toward people. The scolding and judging came naturally to her.

But that wasn’t the interesting part. No, that came second later, when Maria burst into a god-honest laughter, all the shyness and embarrassment from seconds ago gone and forgotten.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe that’ll be my thing from now on- embarrassing myself in front of complete strangers.”  _Not that I‘d ever confess to coming up with the idea_!

 “Well, I certainly can’t recall a time when you didn’t, but that’s just me.”

Maria raised her arm and nudged Steve in the side with her elbow when she noticed his bewildered look. “She’s not wrong you know. It was  _not_  any better when we first met, right Agent Carter? You see,” and she started to explain to the completely lost Steve what had happened that faithful day a year and half ago. Not that he needed to know, but this what who she was.

“The first time I met Agent Carter was far worse than this, you have to believe me. I’ve just have been promoted from an analyst to a field agent. Well, not a field agent like agent Carter, more like an assistant agent to the actual field agents. But the excitement and the honors felt like I’ve sealed the real deal, you know? It was something I’ve always dreaming of achieving.”

Steve nodded with understanding.

“Anyways, it was my first official meeting and I was a ball of nerves. I was set to debrief a full room of senior agents, few government officials, and not the mention the freaking president who happened to have a live line… it was just awful and wonderful at the same time…”

She sighed, remembering what it felt like to be that person, to be her back then, when all she did was to doubt herself, to judge herself. That maybe she wasn’t strong enough, or smart enough, or driven enough, or maybe it was because she was too much of those things. She has heard it both ways. It was a bittersweet emotion, one that still gave her nightmares, even after all this time, because she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she might wake up from the nightmare one day to only find herself in something much worse.

But she managed, somehow, to pull through the crushing feeling of doubt that crept on her from time to time. She took a freshening breath of air and continued her story.  “So here I am, running down the halls of Langley, carrying some six hundred pages worth of intel, when all of the sudden the heel of my shoe breaks off, and I stumble and fall. But it was no ordinary fall, no mister, it was an odd mixture between a nose dive and a bobsleigh routine that, to my utter horror, comes to end at the feet of none other than agent Carter’s and Secretary of Defense Pierse.” She shook her head. “I’ve granted them both the everlasting memory of my behind puckered in the air, while my face was becoming familiar with the tiled floor. I’ve never felt more humiliated in my life and I have more than a colorful past and stories to call upon, but still, this was a whole new level of me making a complete idiot of myself in front of others…”

Steve noted Hill getting slowly trapped in the memory and hurried to pull out her from the misfortunate experience. “Hey, at least this time no one’s behind is in the air, right? That should count as improvement.”

Maria beamed with new found confidence and agreed. “Yeah, it does.” Her eyes thanked him for his kindness and consideration before she managed to push the subject aside. “But enough about me. You’re probably tired and I’m hogging your attention with my stories and,” she gestured up and down her body, “ _me_.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, the entertaining value of this story is immeasurable,” Sharon tossed sarcastically as she circled Hill. “Maybe you should write it down to preserve it for the generations. Just do so after you give me the key to wherever I’ll be staying so I could get a shower and change. I smell like airplane.”

The last was supposed to be a simple observation Sharon had make for herself, but Steve was too quick on jumping in. “That’s what got you all moody and snappy? Wouldn’t have figured it.”

“I’m not snappy,” Sharon snapped before she could stop herself from doing so.

Steve snorted, and Maria chuckled under her breath, and Sharon was pretty much done with them both. But before she could seize the opportunity to tell them to go the hell Maria stepped between them and pulled something from the back pocket of her jeans. She opened her palm to reveal three plastic cards, one green, the other two yellow. The cards were not much different from those used in hotels as key cards. Hill hurried to explain, sounding truly remorseful.

“I’m so sorry, agent Carter that was incredibly inappropriate of me. I had this thing all figured out, but for tomorrow morning, when you were all supposed to check in. I didn’t expect you two to come this early on so I had to come up with a makeshift briefing. And then you were running late and I already had scheduled a meeting with the local law enforcements to make sure they don’t accidently stumble upon our operation which made me staying and waiting for you not an option. It’s where I was headed when the last five minutes happened and I completely forgot about the briefing and the meeting and I’m sorry. Again, incredibly inappropriate and unprofessional of me.”

She paused only to catch her breath.

“The apartment on the left, is where you and will be staying for the time being. To open the door you’ll need both the “ _key_ ”,” she held the green one up, “and the verification code that will display after you activate the card the first rime. It’s a four digits code but it would only appear for couples of seconds, so just be sure you’ve memorized it. You’ll have access to our apartment using only the key, and for accessing the other one you’ll have to use the combination of both every time. I believe it’s redundant to tell you to keep the code to yourself. There is an extended list of security measures and protocols that will follow in case of an intrusion, but that’s for later.”               

She then shifted her attention to Steve.

“Same rule applies for your apartment, agent Rogers. Run your key card to activate it and memorize the code. Wanna come and tell us hi, use both. No biggie.” She tossed him one of the cards but kept the other to herself. “I hope there won’t be a problem to keep it and give it to agent Wilson myself. I already volunteered to pick him up from the airport tomorrow morning so you could get some rest. I see no point in troubling you with that too, if that is alright with you of course?”  

Steve answered with a nod, and Maria released a sigh of content. “Great. Now, if you can excuse me, I really don’t want to make our French colleagues wait any longer. It sends the wrong message.”

“Hill, just a sec,” Sharon called after Maria as she entered the elevator.

“Agent Carter?”

“Double checking, nothing more. The apartment on the left you say?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“And theirs on the right?”

She nodded  _yes._

“Activate the key card, memorize the code?”

“Yep. As I said, no biggie.”

“I think there might something wrong with mine though.”

Maria brows knitted together and she stepped out of the elevator. “What? The guy who had them delivered to me said they were working perfectly at the last inspection. No delays and no hick ups.” She extended her hand and asked for the card. “May I?”

“Be my guest.” Sharon gave the card back and added nonchalantly. “If you give me Wilson’s card I’ll show you what the problem is, because I don’t think theirs have it.”

Maria didn’t hesitate for a second and this time to Steve’s utter horror handed her the card meant for his friend. Maybe the young woman wasn’t able to see through Carter’s schemes, but he did. He knew exactly what she was up to, and who she was going after with that.  _Him!_

“Do you see anything out of the ordinary on agent Wilson’s card?” Maria asked as she completely lost herself into the task of finding out what was wrong with the one meant for Carter. “Because I don’t think…” She lifted her head only to find Carter almost at the end of the corridor, just a step away from the apartment designated for the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

Sharon rested her luggage at her feet and ran the card down the locking mechanism. The display lit with bright white light, which meant that the card was being activated, then in red when the program scrambled trough millions of unique combination of numbers until it reached the one that went along with encryption of the card. From across the hall both Maria and Steve heard the unmistakable clicking sound of the safety mechanism unlocking as the display on the lock lit in green.

Sharon pushed the door handle down and with a swift movement of her hips and a coy smile on her lips pushed the door open. 

“Turns out, everything works just fine,” she said victoriously and disappeared into the apartment.

Steve ran a hand down his face and blew out a frustrated breath. Maybe he had it coming? Maybe his behavior earlier had set her off and now she was out for blood?  _His blood_. He didn’t know. He couldn’t have known. But he knew this much. Sharing a living space with Carter would prove beyond difficult, because she was difficult, and vindictive, and playing him for fool, and already winning in a game he didn’t know he was a part of.

“Uh-” Maria began hesitantly, “agent Rogers? What was that?”

He gave the woman a side glance and mumbled mostly at himself, “That was the beginning of my nightmare!”

_………_

Steve woke up to something pointy pocking him at his side. With a carefully measured stroke of his hand he reached behind him and pushed whatever was causing his discomfort scattered all over the place. When he slowly lower his still heavy with sleep head backwards only to have it bumping into something soft and puffy was when he realized he had fallen asleep, on the floor, next to a perfectly empty king-sized bed. Again! That was becoming a habit of his.

He stifled a grunt, pulled himself up and sat on the bed. The mess at his feet reminded him of yet another night filled with more work than sleep. Like the night before, and the one before that, and so on.

His swollen eyes, his sore muscles burned with exhaustion. He ran a hand down his face and contemplated going back to bed and staying there till there wasn’t an actual need of him. He hated being needed like that. He hated even more being here, chasing after…  _God_ , he couldn’t believe he was actually chasing after his best friend, hunting him like his was some common criminal. Yet, he couldn’t remember anyone else volunteering for the job. It had to be him and Sam.

After another minute spent in self-pity Steve finally got up and with the effort accustomed to man carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders he dragged himself across the bedroom into the bathroom.

To his relief the shower and the shave did help a little. Ditching the two day old suit and tie really added to fixing his grim mood, and after changing into an old pair of denims and even older t-shirt he was ready to leave the misery and comfort of the bedroom. He didn’t bother with any footwear, or socks. He didn’t need another constriction to add up to the already overwhelming exasperation.

He didn’t have enough time to check out the apartment last night, but now, as the bright sun light was seeping through the sheer peached-colored curtain, he gave the place an accessing look. As everything else, the living room was spacious and boldly decorated. It screamed more modern than cozy, with its weird artistic furnishing and colors that if you think hard enough don’t make any decorating sense, but it seemed to have worked perfectly for the place.

He took down the three steps somewhat separating his bedroom from the rest of the place and headed for the small kitchenette at the opposite of where he was standing. It was eerie quiet, well aside from the happy chirping of the birds outside. Nothing disturbed the atmosphere around and it rubbed him the wrong way. He knew something bad was coming, he just couldn’t figure out what.

He stopped in front of the small marble counter and turned around, couple of times, as if he was expecting to see something out of the order. But there was nothing of sorts.

But the feeling didn’t go away even as he brewed his coffee. He poured the hot liquid into a big mug when it hit him. The silent, the absent of any noises or voices… he was alone. He shook his head and frowned. Carter was nowhere to be seen, probably still sound asleep in  _her_  king-sized bed, when all he did last night was to work, going through hundreds of pages wort of sights and intel regarding Bucky and Romanova.  

His hand squeezed dangerously hard the mug. The thought of how easily he was being manipulated by her made him want to punch himself. She was definitely onto him, playing him for the fool he was. He didn’t know if there was such a thing as drinking coffee angrily, but he could pioneer in it, cause either her didn’t notice how hot the coffee was or he didn’t care. His anger was hotter and more prominent.

As if on a cue he didn’t expect the front door swung open and Sharon strolled in. Dressed in black from head to toe she mirror how he felt.

“Good morning, sunshine,” she greeted him with raised coffee cup and not an ounce of sweetness or honestly.

Steve caught her drift and didn’t greet back. “I thought you were still asleep?”

“At nine in the morning, don’t be ridiculous.” She walked over the over-sized sofa under the scrutinizing stare of the man and plopped down. She awarded Steve with an once-over and waved her coffee at him, pointing at the dark circles under his vigilant eyes. “You look like a grumpy panda bear, all crinkled and sullen. Not much sleep, huh?”

He answered before he could stop himself, the words coming harsher than intended. “I was up all night, working. A concept not familiar to you, I’m sure.”

She stared back, amused. “Someone is the mood.”

“When usually that’s you gig right?” He jabbed back.

Sharon had to press her lips into a thin, white line in order not to laugh. Pushing his buttons was her gig, one she’d gladly assume any day of the weak. She was here, stuck, doing god-knows what, for god-know how long, and he was her home entertainment unite. Even though she was hearing Coulson’s reprimanding voice every time she took a swing at Rogers’ patience, it was too much fun to miss.

She put the coffee cup on the table and stood up.

With the concentration and the intensity of a big cat on a prowl Sharon melted the distance between. Without a second of hesitation she leaned in over the island, dangerously close to him. “Listen,  _pal_ , you don’t want me here as much I don’t want to be, but it seems that, for the time being, I’m stuck here with you-”

He interrupted her. “ _You’re_  stuck here, with me? Listen, lady-”

Now she was the one to interrupt him. “It’s  _agent_  Carter to you, and don’t sound so confused. You’re the one to have me drop dozen of open investigations and fly over to join your merry band of-of…”

“Of what,” he challenged.

“Of apparent failures?” Sharon offered. She narrowed her brown eyes down at him and asked. “Three years, right? That’s how long you’ve been chasing after your ‘ghosts’, and what? Nada! You, S.H.I.E.L.D., you’re now exactly where you were three years ago, on starting position. Must have been hard, to admit you need help.”

Steve rested his massive palms on the counter, next to hers, and gave her a hardened look. “And you’re what, a God-given? ”

Her lips lifted in the corners. “I am your way out of a bad situation, obviously.”

Steve pulled back, hands fisted on his hips. The woman was something. Infuriating, challenging, maddening. None of them meant in a good way. But she was also right. Three years. Three long, tiring years, of empty leads, empty efforts, failure at every corner. Maybe Carter wasn’t far from the truth. They needed help, and even he hated the road taken, Carter and Hill might have proven more useful that what he was willing to admit.

Steve opened his mouth to say something, but Maria chose the exact same moment to appear. She greeted them both with the cheerful professionalism Steve didn’t doubt was part of her individuality.

Maria tumbled toward them under the weight of the pile of documents she was caring. Careful not to spill the highly classified papers all around the floor she literally had to lie on top of it as she placed them on the counter, in between Carter and Rogers.

“Phew, that was a lot of information to carry around, if you know what I mean. How’s everybody doing this morning? I hope the apartment is accommodating enough?” Her tone was calm and sweet, completely oblivious of the situation unfolding before her.

Sharon and Steve shared a look.  _Not accommodating enough,_ for as long as the other was staying.

………

Maria pretended quiet successfully, not to notice the sizzling tension circling the space between the two agents. Something aside the coffee was brewing. With Carter’s predatory glim and Rogers’  _ready-for-a-fight_  pose, and she was getting caught in it. Not that she wanted it, but hey who if not effing Maria Hill to draw the short stick.

Maria straightened and gave the pair an accessing look.  _Defusing commencing…_

“Before we could dive into the case, I’d like to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I was completely out of line talking to both of you the way I did and I am truly sorry for putting you in such shameful situation. It wasn’t my intention, and I’m not going to make any excuses for myself…I-I’m just not used to working with actual people…” Not that  _them_  being those people helped in any way. “And-”

Sharon cut her off. “It’s all good, from where I’m standing, of course. Don’t know about Rogers though.”

The ball was now in Steve’s yard. He knew Carter was trying to set him up, again, but honestly he had seen worse than the blabbering Maria Hill. Actually,  _he_  had been worse. He relaxed his tensed posture and smiled at the woman.

“It’s fine. I guess we’ve all been there at some point in our careers.”

Maria wasn’t exactly buying it, but okay. “You-you have?”

This time Steve and Sharon answered in unison. “Yeah, we have...”

Steve’s attention snapped back on Sharon. “Easy, Carter, your human is showing,” he mockingly warned her.

Sharon pulled back and smiled. “Well, damn Rogers, don’t tell the world then. I’m trying to be dark and brooding here and you’re ruining my moment. Besides, what happened yesterday, and more importantly what have happened in the past has no meaning today. Let’s skip the mushy details and get to work. The trails in the case are getting as cold as Thanksgiving leftovers.”

Didn’t she say she was going for dark and brooding? Watching her smug expression after that last jab Steve thought that bitching and condescending suited her more. She really thought they’ve fucked up to the point of no return. And why wouldn’t she? If she had read the file he had given her last night, then she might at least suspects that everything done so far resulted in catastrophic lack of progress. They had nothing, they knew nothing and the end of the line was dangerously cutting closer to him.

“My suggestion is to drop that none-sense and get down to business, shall we? Come on, Hill, woo me with your briefings.”

Maria laughed at the easiness of Carter’s words. The woman was a mystery, but she preferred having  _this_  particularly mystery on her side.  “I’d love to, but we have to wait for agent Wilson to join us. He’s freshing up, but little of a warning there. He didn’t get much rest last night and he’s bit cranky.”

“Crankier than Rogers? That’s simply not possible.”

That was it. He was done playing her verbal punching bag. He managed to transfer the felling into his ridden with warning voice when he addressed her. “You know what,  _Carter_ , bite me!”

Sharon laughed as if she had heard the funniest joke ever. “Wouldn’t dream of touching you,  _Rogers_!”

“Lucky me, I’m just in for the best part, aren’t I?” Sam propped a shoulder against the door frame as three set of eyes fell on him. He knew what he was getting himself into, what Steve was getting  _himself_  into, but seeing Rogers and Carter in action was pure joy.

Either Steve was hallucinating, or the stupid wide grin stretching Carter’s mouth was real. He couldn’t tear his eyes of it even if he wanted. His confusion deepened when Sharon rounded the island, pushed pass Maria and headed straight for him. The hug they exchanged caught the pair not participating off guard.

“Ha, and if isn’t the better looking part of the dynamic duo.” Sharon gave him few friendly taps on the back before letting go.

He grinned back. “Damn right, I am!”

She playfully tugged his tie. „Shit, Sam polished shoes, suit and tie... all dressed up, but no fun _._ “

„Says the woman wearing...‘‘ He paused for a second, studying her. „What are those, yoga pants?“

„They are sweatpants, and I do Pilates.“

Sam shook his head. „Only you can take offense in something so minor.“

Sharon laughed, and then turned to Maria, who seemed as lost as was Steve next to her. „See, he‘s not that cranky after all.“

He frowned. „Who said I was cranky.“

„Relax, she meant well. Come on,“ she urged him ahead of her, „let‘s get some work done before I actually lose my cool.“

Sam jerked his head at Steve’s direction and asked, “My boy giving you hard time yet?”

Sharon waved him off. “You know I can handle him.“

Sam shook his head once more and snorted a laugh. “Yeah, yeah, that much I figured. What are you chewing him over this time?”

She shrugged. “Not much. But in his defense I did call him a crinkled panda bear, which might not have been the best thing… If you ask him. Cut him some slack.”

„Will you,“ he asked, genuinely interested.

Sharon wasn‘t as interested to answer.

.........


End file.
